Op/Ed: Provide for Farmers, So They Can Continue to Provide for Us
Agriculture and Natural Resources Dean Advocates Actions, Policies to Shield Farming Population from Rising Difficulties
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America's farming population is critical to the nation's welfare and deserves societal support, AGNR Dean Craig Beyrouty writes.
The food we eat doesn’t appear on our tables by magic. U.S. farmers are an indispensable part of our lives, writes Craig Beyrouty, dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources. It benefits all of society to ensure that their health—in the physical, mental, financial and legal senses—is maintained.
In an op/ed printed yesterday in The Baltimore Sun, Beyrouty recommends individuals, communities and policymakers alike take action to prevent and mitigate negative impacts on the nation’s farming population.
Producing the harvest we enjoy is extremely challenging. Roadblocks that farmers face in order to get their products from the field to the consumer are often out of their control, including extreme and unpredictable weather conditions, trade barriers that limit or eliminate foreign markets, cost of inputs measured against return on investment, lack of farm labor due to government policies, rapidly changing consumer demands and the need for an off-farm job for supplemental income and health insurance.
These external pressures, coupled with geographical and social isolation and lack of health insurance coverage and diminished access to mental health care professionals give way to increased financial, legal, mental and physical stress. Chronic psychological stress, if not properly treated, can lead to increased anxiety, depression, substance abuse and suicide.
Additionally, farming is a profession with high risk for injuries, which can lead to prescription opioid use. In a recent study commissioned by the American Farm Bureau and the National Farmers Union, 77% of farmers said they could easily get opioids without a prescription, and 75% reported being directly affected by opioid misuse, addiction or overdose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdoses of opioids in rural areas have surpassed those in urban areas. The CDC also reports that suicide rates among farmers is twice that of the general population.
Read the rest in The Baltimore Sun.
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